Marsh has brought on board former UK National Crime Agency (NCA) cybercrime director Jamie Saunders as a strategic advisor, the broker has announced.

In this newly created role based in London, Saunders will be responsible for providing strategic cyber security and risk management advice to Marsh’s clients, helping them to improve their resilience against cyber-attacks.

His appointment further bolsters Marsh’s dedicated specialist cyber security and risk team, and follows the appointment of Sir Iain Lobban, formerly director of GCHQ, as a senior adviser of cyber risk in 2016, said Marsh.

Saunders joins Marsh after heading the NCA’s national cybercrime unit since April 2014. Prior to joining the NCA, Saunders served as director of international cyber policy for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He began his career in 1988 at GCHQ, the UK Government’s intelligence and security organisation the company said in its statement.

Commenting on the appointment, head of client advisory services of Marsh UK & Ireland, Daniel Max said: “We believe insurance is a vital part of how firms manage cyber risk. As well as insurance being a part of crisis financing, it is a rich source of information and an objective validation of how firms are coping with cyber. As one of the UK’s leading cyber security experts, Jamie will add enormously to how Marsh helps our clients respond to the cyber threat.”